PRECIOUS Momowei proved to be a class act despite University of the East's painful 76-67 defeat to University of Santo Tomas on Saturday.
READ: UST drags down UE, kicks Ateneo out of playoff race
Right after the buzzer sounded, the Nigerian center took time and apologized to both Mo Tounkara and Gelo Crisostomo, entering the Growling Tigers' dugout on his own volition.
“I tried my best to apologize,” he shared.
Momowei was ejected at the 5:13 mark of the fourth quarter after incurring two unsportsmanlike fouls for inadvertent elbows to his UST counterparts.
Tounkara was his first casualty, getting elbowed on the nose early in the second frame before Crisostomo was left with a cut on his right eyebrow after challenging the Red Warriors' foreign student-athlete's drive in the payoff period.
That put an end to Momowei's night, as he hit the showers with just six points and 10 rebounds. The ejection also entails an automatic one-game suspension to be served in their succeeding assignment.
Coach Jack Santiago, though, said that UE plans to file an appeal to argue Momowei’s case that the incidents were unintentional.
“He’s a good kid. The school will write a letter regarding Momowei, but of course, we don’t know the final decision yet,” he said.
Momowei, too, hopes that the Commissioner’s Office hears his case.
“I hope they accept the appeal because I don’t want to miss our next game and (want to) play against Ateneo,” he said.
Momowei faces the same quandary he did last year, as his ejection puts him in danger of being banned anew.
He picked up two unsportsmanlike fouls back in Season 86 which led to him serving a one-game suspension in the second round, coincidentally, against the Blue Eagles.
If the decision holds, it would render Momowei ineligible for end-of-season awards. Last year, he missed out on Rookie of the Year honors.
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